KYIV, Ukraine (AP) \u2014 A major Russian air attack on Kyiv early Thursday, including a rare strike in the city center that damaged the European Union\u2019s diplomatic offices, killed at least 17 people and wounded 48 more, authorities said.<\/p>\n
The bombardment of drones and missiles was the first major Russian attack on Kyiv in weeks as U.S.-led peace efforts to end the three-year war struggled to gain traction<\/a>. It also prompted Kaja Kallas, the European Union\u2019s top diplomat, to say she planned to summon Russia\u2019s EU envoy to Brussels.<\/p>\n Two of Ukraine\u2019s top envoys were set to meet Friday with the Trump administration regarding mediation.<\/p>\n The Kremlin said Russia remained interested in continuing peace talks despite Thursday\u2019s air attack, which was one of the war\u2019s biggest since it began in 2022. <\/p>\n Among the dead were four children between 2 and 17, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv\u2019s city administration. The numbers are expected to rise. <\/p>\n Rare attack on center of Kyiv<\/p>\n The attack was one of the few times Russian drones and missiles have penetrated the heart of Kyiv since the start of the full-scale invasion. <\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s Air Force said Russia launched 598 strike drones and decoys and 31 missiles of different types across the country early Thursday, most of them striking targets in Kyiv.<\/p>\n At least 33 locations across all 10 of the city\u2019s districts were directly hit or damaged by debris, Tkachenko said. Thousands of windows shattered as nearly 100 buildings were damaged, including a shopping mall in the city center. <\/p>\n Oleksandr Khilko arrived at the scene after a missile hit the residential building where his sister lives in the capital\u2019s Darnytsia district. He heard screams from people who were trapped under the rubble and pulled out three survivors, including a boy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s inhuman, striking civilians,\u201d Khilko said, his clothes covered in dust and the tips of his fingers black with soot. \u201cWith every cell of my body I want this war to end as soon as possible. I wait, but every time the air raid alarm sounds, I am afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n Sophia Akylina said her home in Kyiv\u2019s Holosiivskyi district was damaged.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never happened before that they attacked so close,\u201d the 21-year old said. \u201cNegotiations haven\u2019t yielded anything yet, unfortunately people are suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n EU and UK summon Russian envoys after strikes hit their buildings<\/p>\n European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said two strikes landed 20 seconds apart about 50 meters (164 feet) from the EU Mission to Ukraine building in Kyiv. She said no staff were injured in the strike.<\/p>\n \u201cNo diplomatic mission should ever be a target. In response, we are summoning the Russian envoy in Brussels,\u201d Kaja Kallas, the European Union\u2019s top diplomat, said Thursday in a post on X.<\/p>\n The British Council, which promotes cultural relations and educational opportunities, also said its Kyiv office had been \u201cseverely damaged\u201d in the attack and was closed to visitors until further notice. <\/p>\n The organization posted a photo showing the building with its windows and entrance smashed open and surrounded by glass and debris. A guard was injured and is \u201cshaken but stable,\u201d council chief executive Scott McDonald posted on X.<\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Russian President Vladimir Putin was \u201csabotaging\u201d hopes of peace following the \u201csenseless\u201d strikes. The Russian ambassador to London was summoned to the foreign office. <\/p>\n Diplomatic efforts to reach peace have stalled<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s attack is the first major combined Russian mass drone and missile attack to strike Kyiv since U.S. President Donald Trump met with Putin in Alaska earlier this month to discuss ending the war in Ukraine<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cRussia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,\u201d Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X following the attack. \u201cWe expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions.\u201d <\/p>\n While a diplomatic push to end the war<\/a> appeared to gain momentum shortly after that meeting, few details have emerged about the next steps. <\/p>\n